From: mea culpa (jerichoDIMENSIONAL.COM)
Date: Mon Aug 16 1999 - 23:28:38 CDT

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From: "John Q. Public" <tpublicdimensional.com>

http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20775.html

A Digital Milestone for Congress
by Declan McCullagh
3:00 a.m. 16.Jul.99.PDT

WASHINGTON -- It was a fitting ceremony for Washington politicos who have
yet to discard antediluvian restrictions on encryption.

Republican legislators on Thursday held a press event to email an
electronic copy of Y2K legislation to President Clinton -- and they
digitally signed the document with Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption.

"We sent the bill to the president via the Internet. That's the first time
in history that's ever happened," said a spokesman for House Speaker
Dennis Hastert.

As a photo op, it was beautiful. As an example of political hypocrisy, it
was even better.

Clinton's own executive order restricts the widespread availability of
precisely that software. The FBI has even lobbied to ban the domestic
distribution and sale of PGP.

To be sure, some Republicans and a handful of Democrats have tried to nix
Clinton's export rules, but the national security and law enforcement
establishment has managed to keep any bill from reaching the House or
Senate floor.

[snip]

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